Social Tuesday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m. at the Johnson Center: You are Invited

Arts Council Invites You to Aug. 18 Social

By Sara Penny

Cedar City: Your Cedar City Arts Council invites you to a summer Social on Tuesday, August 18, at 7 p.m. in the Johnson Center, 59 N. 100 West. This free public event links the community to local artists. Presenters share their music and art at the Socials.
     Andrea Anderton will introduce her new art offering. “Creative Focus Studio is a Art Classroom and Fine Art Gallery dedicated to providing immersive art experiences for ALL types of creatives. From featuring a variety of different artists and curating a wide range of styles in our gallery, to providing quality art classes and experiences to those wanting to become more artistic themselves, there are plenty of opportunities to become creatively inspired within our walls! It is located at 5 N Main #305, in the upstairs of Boomer's building,” said Anderton.
     We are excited to showcase the Festival City Ballet at our upcoming Social on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Johnson Center, 59 N. 100 West. The company "is dedicated to growing the art of ballet in Cedar City, with a goal of creating a vibrant home for dancers and audiences alike because ballet is for everyone! The company offers opportunities for dancers of all ages and experience levels to take part in productions, develop their technique, and be inspired by the magic of performance." Their upcoming performance is Alice in Wonderland on Sept. 14 and 15 in the Heritage Theater.
     The new ballet is created by the Artistic Staff (Christine Mills-Artistic Director, Jennie Grimes, Laura Nelson, Kristena Hunsaker - Artistic Staff and Guest Choreographer Torri Adams). Four affiliate studios work with the company for rental space. Elisha Church explained, "Many of us on the board teach for or run the ballet programs for our affiliate studios. In return we advertise them, respect their competition and season schedules, as many of their dancers are in our cast, and work together to help promote one another. These bridges in our dance community were built by Jennie Grimes when she began Community Nutcracker here in Cedar City. She is much of the brains behind operating and working together as a dance community." More information: https://www.festivalcityballet.org
     Sara Hales is a mini-grant recipient. She said, “Thanks to the recorder grant, students were able to jump right into making music in a fun, hands-on way while building important skills. They learned the basics of playing the recorder, including how to use proper breath, finger placement, and posture, which helped them play simple songs on their own and with the class. Along the way, they explored rhythm, pitch, and how music works, all while practicing how to stay on beat and play together as a group. It was exciting to see their confidence grow as they improved and worked toward performing as an ensemble.”
     Music helps with other skills. As Hales said, “Reading music helped reinforce left-to-right tracking, patterns, and sequencing—similar to reading words in a sentence. Counting rhythms gave them extra practice with math concepts like fractions and timing. Students also had chances to talk about their learning, reflect on their progress, and give feedback to classmates, which supported their speaking and listening skills. Most importantly, they practiced focus, perseverance, and problem-solving as they worked to get better each day. Overall, the recorder experience was a fun and meaningful way for students to grow both musically and academically.”
     Both Cedar City Music Arts and the Orchestra of Southern Utah will be introducing their upcoming seasons. The Southern Utah String Quartet will provide live music. This ensemble plays for numerous community events and OSU.
     Roger Gold, CCAC President, will introduce a new America250 art art contest for all ages celebrating Cedar City through the NEA and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. There will be local prizes of $500 and $100 for the winning entries sponsored by CCAC. More information at https://cedarcityartscouncil.blogspot.com/.../america250...
     The art and photography contest for the Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival is for kindergarten through high school and is coordinated by CCAC.
     CCAC provides arts advocacy as well as Socials, Final Friday Art Walks, mini-grants, and a literary group. Memberships help fund activities as well as the RAP (Recreation Arts and Parks) fund and a grant from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, which includes National Endowment for the Arts funding. Remember that mini-grants up to $500 are available for art projects to build our community. Application on website under Support and the and the next deadline is Aug. 31.
      Brownies from Ganache-d will be served at the Social. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. Funding for CCAC comes from memberships, RAP (Recreation Arts and Parks), the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, NEA, and donations. "Many thanks to everyone who makes CCAC possible," said Roger Gold. More about the CCAC at cedarcityartscouncil.org